Group of Five Kingmakers: James Madison Now Poised for College Football Playoff Bid

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HARRISONBURG, VA — The No. 25 James Madison Dukes (12-1) have made the maximum case for a College Football Playoff (CFP) bid, capturing their first-ever Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Championship on Friday night by defeating Troy 31-14 at Bridgeforth Stadium.

While the victory itself was significant, the subsequent shocker—unranked Duke’s upset of No. 17 Virginia in the ACC Championship—has created the perfect scenario for JMU to potentially secure an automatic spot in the 12-team playoff field.

Dominant Defense Secures the Title

The Dukes, who finished the season with a program-best 12-1 record, secured the win with a phenomenal defensive effort and a fourth-quarter offensive surge.

Game MVP Wayne Knight led the ground game, rushing for a career-high 212 yards and one touchdown, including a 73-yard scoring dash that set an SBC Championship Game record.
Shutout Defense: The Dukes’ defense pitched a second-half shutout, holding Troy to only 45 total yards over the final two quarters. They set Sun Belt title game records with 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks, cementing the victory.
Fourth Quarter Punch: Up 17-14 late, JMU pulled away on a 26-yard touchdown run by Sun Belt Player of the Year Alonza Barnett III and sealed the win with a defensive strip-sack recovered for a touchdown.

The Unexpected Path to the CFP

Under the expanded 12-team format, the College Football Playoff grants automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions. JMU, as a Group of Five champion, must rank higher than at least one of the Power Four champions (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) to secure one of those five spots.

JMU’s fate hinged entirely on the ACC title game, and Duke’s 27-20 overtime upset of No. 17 Virginia provided the chaos the Dukes needed.

The Ranking Paradox: Unranked Duke (8-5) is now the ACC Champion. The CFP Selection Committee must decide if Duke, with five losses, is a higher-ranked conference champion than the No. 25 James Madison Dukes (12-1).
The JMU Advantage: Before the championship games, James Madison was ranked No. 25 by the CFP committee, while Duke was unranked. Many analysts believe the committee will honor JMU’s 12-1 record and their strong metrics over Duke’s five-loss resume, positioning the Dukes as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions.

Suppose the committee places JMU ahead of Duke. In that case, the Dukes will secure the automatic bid, leading to the unprecedented—and highly debated—outcome of the ACC champion being left out of the College Football Playoff.

The Dukes, whose coach, Bob Chesney, confirmed that he will be leaving the program after this season but will coach the team in the CFP, now await the final verdict. The entire football world will be watching when the final CFP rankings are announced on Selection Sunday.